ON MATERIALS. 35 



mane and tail being used; the latter more 

 commonly, as it "ribs" so nicely. 



I have recently turned my attention to a new 

 material, which I believe to be a very useful one. 

 It is roffia grass, used by gardeners to train plants 

 and make up bouquets. It is to be had of a very 

 pale cream and of a pale ginger colour. The thin 

 tape-like substance should be split, a thin strip 

 torn off it, tightly twisted, and then wound on the 

 hook shank. Used thus it resists the water for a 

 long time ; and a thin coat of varnish will make 

 it still more impervious. It ribs well, the laps 

 closing up well together; it also takes a dye 

 readily, and is almost unbreakable. 



Pure unvulcanised india-rubber is, in my 

 opinion, the best all round body material that we 

 have. It has just that fresh, juicy appearance 

 which is the distinctive characteristic of living 

 matter. It takes a dye pretty well, and can be 

 used either for light bodied flies (dressed 

 detached), or for dark bodied flies wound in the 

 usual way. 



It is sold in lumps, nicely squared up as a rule, 

 and should be first cut into very thin slices of 

 about lin. long by Jin. broad, and then lengthwise 

 in very thin strips. A piece of cork of about 2in. 

 square, sandpapered perfectly flat on both sides, 

 makes a good cutting board ; and the best tool 

 that I know of is an old razor ground quite thin 

 in the blade, which should be kept wet while in 

 use. Stropping is necessary now and again, as 

 the rubber looks so very much better when cleanly 

 cut. The strips should be softened in hot water, 

 or by being rolled between the finger and thumb, 

 or moistened with turpentine, before being pulled 

 out ; neglect of this may also give them a ragged 

 edge. 



Quill is, without doubt, the material most used 

 for small flies at the present time. It shows a 



